Fake components delay designs in Israel

NETANYA, Israel  Fake components are delaying several design projects in Israel. According to sources who spoke with EETimes Europe , the fake components, mostly from China, will lead to lost sales at several companies due to the delays.

"The root cause is long lead times of 18 weeks and more for some electronic components. Designers who want to quickly finish their projects are approaching Chinese vendors who are faking brand name components and selling them for half the usual price," one source told EETimes Europe, speaking on the basis of anonymity.

Some of the designs might tackle problems with fake components in 20 percent of the components they use, the sources estimate.

"In many cases the designer starts work on the projects, tackles unidentified problems and thinks that the problem is in the design itself. Therefore, some distributors are enabling the customer to integrate one sample component in his design, check it for a limited time frame and return it if any problem arises," the source said.

For all that, the sources estimate that despite the fakes, 85 percent of the electronic components that Israel imports from China are good.